Author: Stuart White

Australia to increase Military Budget.
4May By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
China, Conflict, World

Australia to increase Military Budget.

Canberra, Australia: Amid China's growing military aggression Australia has increased id defence budget and will be conduction more joint exercise with US.Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Canberra would work with allies including Washington to focus on "pursuing peace, stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific," South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported."Working with the United States, our allies and Indo-Pacific neighbours, we will continue to advance Australia's interests by investing in the Australian Defence Force, particularly across northern Australia," Morrison said, SCMP cited agencies.This comes days after Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton raised the alarm about the possibility of Australia becoming embroiled in a regional military conflict.Dutton last week sa...
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Indian army’s India Army Tests Firing Capability of Arjun Mk-1 Alpha tanks ‘Desert-Storms’.
30Apr By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Asia

Indian army’s India Army Tests Firing Capability of Arjun Mk-1 Alpha tanks ‘Desert-Storms’.

At the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer, on the weekend. The Indian Army demonstrated the combat capabilities of its Arjun Mk-1 Alpha tanks in a live-fire exercise Konark Corps (XII Corps) GOC Lt. Gen. PS Minhas, Battle Ax Division GOC Major-Gen. Ajit Singh Gehlot and other officials observed the firing capabilities of the latest tank, The Times Of India reported, according to eurasiantimes. This tank is the cavalry's latest workhorse handed over to the service in February 2021 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai. The Defense Acquisition Council had cleared the procurement of 118 Arjun Mk-1A tanks (earlier called Mk-II) at an estimated price of Rs 8400 crore. A senior official was quoted as saying by TOI, “Seeing the current scenario and challenges, the fir
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Poll shows that Japanese public in support of Taiwan Strait
28Apr By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Asia, China, Politics

Poll shows that Japanese public in support of Taiwan Strait

Tokyo, Japan: A poll has said amid growing distance with next-door neighbour China, that a significant amount of Japanese people are in the support of Yoshihide Suga's government policy to pursue peace and stability in the Taiwan StraitAs many as 74 per cent of respondents in the poll supported Japan's engagement toward stability in the Taiwan Strait, while 13 per cent were opposed, Nikkei Asia reported while citing a survey it conducted with Nikkei TV Tokyo.This comes in the backdrop of the first US-Japan in-person meet of US President Joe Biden's term. In a joint statement, Suga and Biden had underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage the peaceful resolution of cro...
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UK’s Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier will sail to India this autumn
27Apr By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Asia, Singapore

UK’s Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier will sail to India this autumn

New Delhi, India:, The British High Commission (BHC) said on Monday informed that, the UK's carrier strike group, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth is set sail to India in the autumn on its maiden operational deployment as a representation of the 'Indo-Pacific tilt' in its foreign policyThe BHC statement said that the HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier will sail to India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the wider region."The Carrier will visit West Coast Ports where it will engage in a series of events to maximise bilateral relations benefitting both countries' trade and political alliances. The ship will conduct a series of joint exercises with Indian military forces in the Indian Ocean, expanding our interoperability and enhancing our capabilities to defend against shared threats and protect our d...
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Jammu and Kashmir back in the most desired tourist places in India
26Apr By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Asia, Conflict

Jammu and Kashmir back in the most desired tourist places in India

NEW DELHI — Result of sincere efforts being made by the Indian federal government could be seen, the in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. As it is back in the list of most desired tourist destinations in the country, especially for the domestic travel enthusiasts This season, the increase in the domestic tourist inflow in the valley is quite surprising despite the surge in coronavirus cases. However, the region still awaits the footfall of international tourists due to the coronavirus-related travel restrictions. Tourism is a vital lifeline for Kashmir’s economy, contributing nearly 10 percent to the region’s GDP and generating employment for more than one hundred thousand people. It also caters to all
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Mongolians in China are supported by Japanese lawmakers.
24Apr By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Asia, China, Politics

Mongolians in China are supported by Japanese lawmakers.

Tokyo, Japan: A parliamentary alliance has been launched by Japanese lawmakers aimed at "protecting Mongolian culture from assimilation policies of the Chinese government".Citing Jiji Press, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that the alliance will be headed by Sanae Takaichi, a former internal affairs and communications minister of Japan, with fellow members of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).The cross-party Parliamentary Alliance in Support of Southern Mongolia will aim to "protect the language and culture of Mongolians in China", which is being threatened by the assimilation policies of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).Ethnic Mongolians in China's Inner Mongolia region had also protested last year against a new educational policy under which Inner Mongolia students needed to tak...
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India sends help to search Indonesia’s missing submarine
23Apr By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Asia

India sends help to search Indonesia’s missing submarine

NEW DELHI -- India on Thursday sent on Wednesday, an Indian Navy official said on Wednesday that India on Thursday has sent its deep submergence rescue vessel in search and rescue efforts for the Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala-402 which was reported missing.The Indonesian submarine was said to be exercising in the waters north of Bali Island with 53 people on board, when it suddenly went missing. Soon, an alert was received by the Indian Navy through International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO).Submarine rescue is required to be undertaken when a submarine is reported to be missing or sunk, and specialized equipment is required for underwater search to locate the disabled submarine and rescue the personnel who are trapped inside the submarine, said a statement iss...
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Ship carrying nuclear material for China was expelled by Sri Lank
22Apr By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Asia

Ship carrying nuclear material for China was expelled by Sri Lank

Sri Lankan authorities on Wednesday a ship without an antigua- registration expelled from the island by authorities.The country's Atomic Energy Regulatory Council said the MV BBC Naples was asked to leave after it was found to be in the Chinese-run port of Hambantota on Tuesday night carrying uranium hexafluoride."The ship failed to declare its dangerous cargo -- uranium hexafluoride -- and we decided to order it to leave our waters immediately," council director general Anil Ranjith told AFP.The ship had come from Rotterdam but authorities did not say where in China it was headed.Ranjith said it was an offence to enter a port without declaring the material, which is used to enrich uranium, the fuel for nuclear power stations and weapons.Sri Lanka's opposition leader Sajith Premadasa dema...
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US and Japan vow to push back on China’s ‘intimidation’, tech dominance
19Apr By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Asia, China, Politics, World

US and Japan vow to push back on China’s ‘intimidation’, tech dominance

Washington: Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga have vowed to work together to push back against China’s “intimidation” of its neighbours during the US President’s first White House meeting with a foreign leader since his inauguration. The US and Japanese leaders announced a $6 billion commitment to develop next generation mobile networks, an effort designed to ensure Chinese firms such as Huawei do not dominate the playing field on 5G and other emerging technologies. “We committed to working together to take on the challenges from China and on issues like the East China Sea, the South China Sea, as well as North Korea, to ensure a future of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Biden said in a ceremony at the White House. “Japan and the United States are two stron
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China tried to attack India through Cyber routes: Military Chief Bipin Rawat
17Apr By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Asia, China, Conflict

China tried to attack India through Cyber routes: Military Chief Bipin Rawat

General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Army, said in a virtualdiscussion at the annual Raisina Dialogue that China’s creation of “disruptive technologieswhich can paralyze systems of the adversary” had emboldened Beijing and made it assertive.In June last year, amid the stand-off, at least 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number ofChinese troops were left dead following the first fatal clash between the two countries indecades. Rawat’s comments came in a discussion with Australian military chief GeneralAngus Campbell, his Japanese counterpart Koji Yamazaki, as well as Tim Cahill, senior vice president of arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, at the dialogue organised jointly by India’sMinistry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-b
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